Workin' On It

[Glutenpants]

Hey, I'm new to the forum. I'm not Celiac, but I'm gluten intolerant. My symptoms are pretty mild, so accidental traces of gluten don't generally affect me. The problem is that gluten still does long-term damage, so I've been trying to get off of it.

I've finally been free of the major stuff for about a month, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I used to cave in at least once or twice a week and eat a bun, or pizza, or something gluteney...

I don't even know how I've had the willpower to avoid it for this long. Now I'm just working on the small stuff. The hard part is that the small stuff (sauces, gravies, cross-contamination) doesn't give me any immediate symptoms (or only gives me mild symptoms).

I'm glad I found this site, because I've been having a really tough time trying to figure out where to eat (I'm a university student). I get most of my food from the grocery store, which is good because I can read ingredient lists.

But with restaurants, there's no real way of knowing unless they explicitly advertise themselves as gluten free... And I'm sure most of the people there have never even heard of gluten intolerance.

And the hardest thing is pizza... ugh... When people eat pizza, I have to snag a pepperoni or two just to calm the cravings. How do you go about resisting pizza?

[JNBunnie1]

Hey, I'm new to the forum. I'm not Celiac, but I'm gluten intolerant. My symptoms are pretty mild, so accidental traces of gluten don't generally affect me. The problem is that gluten still does long-term damage, so I've been trying to get off of it.

I've finally been free of the major stuff for about a month, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I used to cave in at least once or twice a week and eat a bun, or pizza, or something gluteney...

I don't even know how I've had the willpower to avoid it for this long. Now I'm just working on the small stuff. The hard part is that the small stuff (sauces, gravies, cross-contamination) doesn't give me any immediate symptoms (or only gives me mild symptoms).

I'm glad I found this site, because I've been having a really tough time trying to figure out where to eat (I'm a university student). I get most of my food from the grocery store, which is good because I can read ingredient lists.

But with restaurants, there's no real way of knowing unless they explicitly advertise themselves as gluten free... And I'm sure most of the people there have never even heard of gluten intolerance.

And the hardest thing is pizza... ugh... When people eat pizza, I have to snag a pepperoni or two just to calm the cravings. How do you go about resisting pizza?

I make my own pizza with pre-made crust from the Gluten-free Bakehouse line Whole Foods has.

Also, I have to think that if you have intestinal damage enough to cause anemia, then you probably have the technical definition of Celiac. What makes you diffrentiate and say otherwise?

[Phyllis28]

I make my own pizza. I use Nature's Hilights Brown Rice Pizza Crust. I find it in the frozen food section at WholeFoods. I use Enrico's Pizza Sauce (labled gluten free), Boars Head Pepperoni (labled gluten free) and cheese.

For really, really quick pizza I use corn tortilla as a pizza crust. Layer the above ingredients bewteen corn tortilla and microwave. I use Mission Corn tortillas. They are labled gluten free.

There are other gluten free premade pizza crusts, pizza crust mixes and homemade receipes available. You will probably want to try several to find one you like.

[Kayaking Mom]

I know it is difficult as a college student, as my daughter was diagnosed while in college. But at least there is gluten-free beer now - several brands in fact!!!! Redbridge is probably the easiest to find as it is distributed by Anheuser-Busch. There is also Bard's Tale, Ramapo, and New Grist. As for the pizza, you can make your own and add wonderful toppings. There are frozen pizza crusts available in most health food stores. If you are near a Whole Foods, they make a very good crust from their own inhouse Gluten Free Bakery. You can also find frozen gluten-free Pizza's (Food's by George makes one). Look for the cookbook "Beyond Rice Cakes"

[Glutenpants]

Thankyou everyone .

I did find some gluten-free pizza crusts, so I'm going to try those out soon. Also, I'm in love with this gluten-free corn-bread by this company called Glutino. I like it better than bread made from wheat.

I make my own pizza with pre-made crust from the Gluten-free Bakehouse line Whole Foods has.

Also, I have to think that if you have intestinal damage enough to cause anemia, then you probably have the technical definition of Celiac. What makes you diffrentiate and say otherwise?

I don't have anemia. My iron is low, but not anemia-low. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm not Celiac because I've never had the severe symptoms that most Celiacs talk about. All my symptoms are gastro-intestinal, and the low iron is caused by gastro-intestinal problems too... I can't digest the gluten, so my stomach and intestines just push everything along without absorbing enough of the nutrients. When I go gluten-free, I notice the fatigue from low iron starts to go away. When I get glutened, it isn't very severe... I just get a little bit of stomach discomfort and gas. Also, I was eating spelt bread for a while (unaware that it contained gluten), and I actually started feeling better than when I had been eating wheat. More subtle forms of gluten don't really give me any noticeable symptoms at all...

I haven't actually been tested though... And I'd like to, but I know that you have to eat gluten in order for the biopsy to work. What I'm doing right now is working for me, so I might get tested a few years down the road if I'm still having problems.

[JNBunnie1]

Thankyou everyone .

I did find some gluten-free pizza crusts, so I'm going to try those out soon. Also, I'm in love with this gluten-free corn-bread by this company called Glutino. I like it better than bread made from wheat.

I don't have anemia. My iron is low, but not anemia-low. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm not Celiac because I've never had the severe symptoms that most Celiacs talk about. All my symptoms are gastro-intestinal, and the low iron is caused by gastro-intestinal problems too... I can't digest the gluten, so my stomach and intestines just push everything along without absorbing enough of the nutrients. When I go gluten-free, I notice the fatigue from low iron starts to go away. When I get glutened, it isn't very severe... I just get a little bit of stomach discomfort and gas. Also, I was eating spelt bread for a while (unaware that it contained gluten), and I actually started feeling better than when I had been eating wheat. More subtle forms of gluten don't really give me any noticeable symptoms at all...

I haven't actually been tested though... And I'd like to, but I know that you have to eat gluten in order for the biopsy to work. What I'm doing right now is working for me, so I might get tested a few years down the road if I'm still having problems.

Actually, there are people wih active Celiac disease who have no symptoms. Symptomology isn't really a good way to confirm or deny Celiac because the range is so great, that's why a lot of doctors have trouble accepting that hair loss and tingly feet can be signs of a digestive disorder. I thought I was only wheat intolerant at first too, and was using spelt as well and still felt better. Once I went completely gluten free, there was an even bigger change, and the next time I got glutened I got the rash that means you absolutely have celiac disease, no ifs, ands or buts. I would suggest being completely gluten-free for one month, then have a piece of spelt bread or something to prove to yourself it doesn't give you trouble. That's really the only way to be sure.

[loco-ladi]

In my opinion there is no "realistic" difference between "intolerance" and "celiac", in both cases gluten is harmful period.

Just because your symptoms are "slight" does not mean you are not doing damage that could seriously effect your health and life not only now but later on as well.

I am not officailly diagnosed due to my former local "dr" however my new one seems to be ok with my self diagnosis, she isn't fighting me on anything at least.

How do I handle not having things that I like ......... I dont miss anything, I eat everything I want, except for gluten, I have chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, crackers, pizza and more!

I shop online and at the local grocery store, but find that due to my job demands mixes work best for me as my time at home is limited and I chose to spend it with my husband but it would be cheaper to make it all from scratch.